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Carpenter ants live in damp wood. They are one of the hardest types to get rid of once you find them inside your building or home. Unfortunately, they can also cause structural damage, since they hollow out wood to build their nests. This page provides information on how to get rid of carpenter ants.
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Carpenter ants live in damp wood. They are one of the hardest types to get rid of once you find them inside your building or home. Unfortunately, they can also cause structural damage, since they hollow out wood to build their nests. This page provides information on how to get rid of carpenter ants.
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Introduction
- Carpenter ants often live and build their nests in damp wood. The carpenter ants found in the U.S. are usually black. The females have wings and look similar to termites, while the males, which are most commonly found inside, don't have any wings. Carpenter ants can cause structural damage in buildings since they tend to hollow wood out to build their nests. Unfortunately, they are also one of the ants that are most difficult to get rid of.
Step 1: Finding the Nests
- Ants live in nests and only a few of them leave the nests to travel within your sight. To kill only individual ants does little to combat the problem. Although there are ant sprays and other pesticides that can be used for prevention, they rarely solve the problem and can also release toxins into your home. The best way to get rid of carpenter ants is by locating the nests and destroying them. Even if the nests cannot be seen, it is helpful to guess where they are located by finding out where the ants are coming from, such as from the hole in the floor.
- Carpenter ants usually live inside damp wood.
- Wood flakes, similar to sawdust, can indicate where the nests are located.
- Sinks, bathtubs, windows, door frames, and the area near the dishwasher are common nest locations.
- Sometimes the nests are located outside.
Step 2: Destroying the Nests
- Nests are destroyed by drilling small holes into the locations where the nests are and pouring boric acid inside. If you do not know the exact location, you can still drill a small hole, for example inside the wall where you believe the ants are located, and pouring boric acid inside. If that is not feasible or convenient, you can place baits near the nests, although it is not nearly as effective.
- Drill a small hole into where the nests are located, or believed to be located.
- Pour boric acid inside.
- Boric acid, sometimes called boracic acid, can be bought in hardware stores.
Step 3: Use Baits
- Although the best way to get rid of carpenter ants is to destroy the nests, that is not always possible or feasible. There are several other options to combat the ants. One option is to use baits.
- Baits can be bought or made by using sugar to attract the ants and boric acid to kill them.
- Place the baits close to the locations of the nests, if known.
- Otherwise, place the baits along areas where the ants are commonly seen.
- The best location to place a bait is near the entrance point of the ants.
- The ants will bring the poison-sugar mixture back to the nest, where it will kill the other ants.
- It can take days to see results.
- Be patient - do not kill individual ants, as you need them to bring the boric acid back to the nest.
Conclusion
Although carpenter ants are difficult to get rid of, you should see results if you destroy the nests. Using baits provide various success rates. An exterminator could assist you if you are not able to remove the ants on your own. Even if they disappear, prevention is important to stop them from returning and building new nests.
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